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Rokita Defeats Weinzapfel To Become Attorney General

FILE PHOTO: WFIU/WTIU

Republican Todd Rokita has won the race for Indiana attorney general, beating Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel.

Rokita, former Secretary of State and four-term congressman, secures Republican control over the statewide office for the sixth consecutive election. Democrats haven’t won the position since 1996.

Rokita issued a written statement as he watched election results from home Tuesday after his campaign announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. In it, he pledged to provide what he calls “pro-growth, limited government leadership” and vowed to defend police and First and Second Amendment rights.

Weinzapfel also opted not to speak and only issued a written statement. He said he’s proud of the issues he raised – particularly his proposal to legalize marijuana and his defense of Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s COVID-19 restrictions.

There was a brighter spotlight on the campaign this cycle because of the current officeholder, Curtis Hill. The Indiana Supreme Court temporarily suspended Hill’s law license earlier this year after it said he criminally battered four women.

Indiana Republican Party state convention delegates narrowly chose Rokita as their nominee over Hill.

Rokita has promised to restore normalcy to the office while hewing to the same kind of conservative principles Hill did.

This story has been updated with written comments from candidates.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.